The search for new church songs is a seemingly endless task. It is not that we lack options - rather, the number of options is so overwhelming, that it’s difficult to sort the silver from the dross. Here’s a list of the criteria I use when evaluating songs for church -

Good theology

If the theology is bad, then the song is no use to us. Obviously we want to avoid outright heresy, but I also recommend ditching songs which are vague or trite. Beyond that, I’ve noticed that modern church songs seem to fall into two broad categories - songs about God’s holiness and glory, and songs about redemption and salvation. I try to keep a balance between the categories, though with a mild preference for the latter.

Good melody

The melody must be singable. Generally, you don’t want any notes to go above a high D. You don’t want to have too many distinct melodic phrases either, or it will be difficult for the congregation to remember. You also want the melody to be good - but that is harder to capture in a simple rule. Listen to lots of music to develop your ear.

Good lyrics

This is something different to good theology, mentioned above. The better the lyrics work as poetry, the better and easier they will be to sing. This is not about rhyming - though rhyming is a nice touch. What’s more important is that the meter of the lyrics matches the melody. The theory is a little complex, but you can determine if it’s a good match by simply singing the song. If any of the lyrics feel awkward, rushed or unnatural to sing, there is a problem, and the song should be discarded.

Good chords

My preference is for relatively simple chord progressions, using guitar friendly chords. In practice this means that most of the songs I select are in G, A, C or D. If a song I like is not in that key, I’ll go to the trouble of transposing it.

Good notation

Good notation is vital. I insist on crisp, freshly printed charts, and I like to use lead sheets rather than just the chords. I generally won’t use any song that has a lead sheet longer than 2 pages, as it then becomes hard to fit on a regular music stand.

Be encouraged - there are lots of great songs out there, you just need to find them. I hope these guidelines will help…